Method of and means for maintaining internal-combustion chambers at an efficient temperature.



E. BOUTON, JR.

METHOD OF AND-MEANS FOR-MAINTAINING INTERNAL COMBUSTION CHAMBERS AT AN EFFICIENT TEMPERATURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I8, I9I5I 1,226,180. I Patented May15,1917.

IZ'gAS' 5 Inventor 5 l'duzardfiouion Jr,"

EDWARD IBOUTON, 3B, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF AND FOR MAINTAINING INTERNAL-COMBUSTION CHAMBERS A1 A11 EFFICIENT TEMEERAIITRE.

manic.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD Bon'ron, Jr.,

, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Les r'lingeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Method of and Means for Maintaining Internal-Combustion Chambers at an Eflicient Temperature, of which the following is a specification.

In the operation of internal combustion engines it is essential for various reasons that the engine cylinder shall not become everheated, and various means have been heretofore employed for preventing such overheating. 0n the other hand it is found that superior economy and smoother running and greater efiiciency can be secured by maintaining the engine cylinder at a sufiiciently high temperature to facilitate the vaporization of the fuel and the resultant combustion. So

far as I am aware the only methods looking toward thus increasing the efficiency are as follows:

First, by surrounding the cylinder with a hopper containing water which is evaporated by the heat of the cylinder, thus preventing the temperature from rising unduly.

Second, by surrounding the cylinder with With the hopper method, the escape of the steam excesslvely lowers the water level, therefore requiring frequent attention and replenishing of the cooling medium.

With the water-circulating system, if the radiator is. ample to carry ofl all the heat on a hot day the cylinder does not reach an eflicient temperatureon a cold day.

With a thermostat the circulation in the radiator may be so retarded as to allow the Specification of Letters Patent.

circulating medium weather.

The covering of a part of the radiator surface to prevent undue cooling is a makeshift and requires constant attention on the part of the operator.

The object of the invention is to avoid all of the foregoing difficulties and to provide for the maintenance in the internal combustion chamber of a predetermined temperature during the practical operation of the engine, and'this I accomplish by applying to the walls of the combustion chamber a vaporizable cooling medium thereby carrying elf the undue heat from the combustion to freeze in cold chamber by means of vapors or steam produced by such heat; collectingsuch vapors or steam; condensing said vapors or steam,

- and then returning the products of condensation to the 'walls of the combustion chamberfor a repetition of vaporization and condensing;

The invention includes the foregoing method and also the means by which said method is made practical.

Said means may be of various constructions and arrangements, and some of these will be illustrated herein in order that the invention may be fully understood, but I do Patented May 15, 191*? I Application filed. May 18, 1915. Serial No. 28,M1.

not intend to limit the invention to the particular 0r specific means herein shown.

The inventlon may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings whlch are" diagrammatic representations of four different forms in which I at present contemplate constructing means for carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with i this invention and employing a pump to return the liquid of condensation from the condenser back to the water jacket of the engine cylinder.

Fig. 2 is a view analogous to Fig. 1 showing a construction similar to Fig. 1 with the difference that a pressure regulating valve is employed to increase the vaporizing point of the cooling liquid.

Fig. 3 is a view analogous to Figs. 1 and 2,'showing the invention applied for gravity operation at atmospheric pressure.

Fig 4 is a view analogous to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 showlng the apparatus constructed "for gravity operation at a pressure and form shown in Fig. .3.

In all the views 1 indicates the walls of the internalcombustion chamber, 2 the p1s- 'ton therein, 3- the jacket surrounding the chamber for application of liquld .coolmg medium to the chamber, A: the vapor or steam receiv ng space, and 5 a condenser connected with sand vapor recelving space 4:. 6 1nd1- rcates the liquid cooling. medium which is applied to the Walls 1 of the combustion chamber and which is vaporized by the heat thereof during the: combustive action within the chamber. f 1

In Fig. 1 the condenser 5 is directly connected with the vapor or steam receiving chamber 1 at the upper part of the jacket 3 by means of an open escape pipe 7, and the liquid of condensation descends into a chamber 8 at the bottom of the condenser." A vent 9 is provided to prevent accumulation of pressure in said chamber 8. v

' A pump 10 is connected by a pipe 11 with' the chamber 8 and by' a pipe 12with' the cooling jacket 3. and is operated to return' liquid of condensation from the condenser to the body of cooling liquid 6 in the cooling chamber 3.

In Fig. 2' the construction is the same as that'shown in" Fig. 1 excepting that in the escape pipe 71 a pressure-regulating valve 13 is provided, the same being constructed,

as indicatedby the separable weights 14 on the valve stem 15, for exerting a regulated or predetermined pressure on the contents of the vapor or steam-receiving chamber/1:, thus increasing the vaporizing point of the cooling medium 6. The vapors which escape past the pressure regulating valve are condensed by the condenser 5 and returned by a pump 10 as in Fig. 1 to the cooling body in' chamber 3.

The two forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are designed for'a'pplication under those conditions where vertical space is limited, as for engines of automobiles and the like.

In Fig. '3 the condenser 5 is located. sufiiciently above the liquid level in the cooling chamberto allow the liquid to drain back sufiiclently to avoid accumulations of liquid 1n the condenser. In the form shown a pipe 16 leads from the chamber 8 at the lower end of the condenser to the lowerend of the cooling chamber 3. It evidently is not essential that the pipe 16 should enter at the lower endof the cooling chamber, although such construction is pre erable.

The form shown in Fig. 3 is applicable to stationary engines, farm engines, and to other use where moderate head room or vertical space is available so that the condenser may be somewhat elevated.

The form shown i Fig. 4; is more particu larly designed for the use of engines in power plants where a considerable elevatlon of the condenser is possible, and is intended to utilize the force of gravity to return the liquid of condensation to the body of cooling medium in the chamber against a regulated pressure above the atmospheric pressure.

In Fig. 4 the vapor or steam space 4: is connected through a pressure regulating valve, 13 with a vertical pipe 72 which may extend to an indefinite eight and is connected atits'upper end to the condenser 5 which is elevated as high as may be desired above the cooling chamber. The pipe 111 returns the liquid tothe lower part of the cooling chamber 3 and the liquid of conden-.

sation 61' is maintained in' said ipe at a height predetermined by the resistance of the pressure regulating valve 13 which is constructed after the mannerdescribed'withregard to the pressure-regulating valve in Fig.2.

' In the formshown in Figs. 1 and 2 the temperature of the combustion chamberwill correspond to the boiling point of the cooling liquid. Inthe form shown in Figs. 2 and 4 the temperature of the combustion chamber will correspond to that indicated by the boiling point at the pressure determined by the pressure-regulating valve.

- It is to be noted that in each of the views surface a of the cooling medium in the cooling jacket 3 around the cylinder 1 and that the products of condensation from the radia tor 5 in each of the views flows to an isolated surface I) of the products ofcondensation flowing from the radiator and that means condensate is collected. There is, therefore,

a boiling surface at a throwing ofi heat by vaporization of a portion of the cooling the radiator and cooler 5. The elimination .the vapors flow to the radiator 5 from the of heat from the cylinder is efiected by the processes of ebullition and evaporation, and the heat is finally removed from the. a paratus by radiation.

cooling med um from the place where it re- This is regarde as j broadly new and pioneer in view of the fact 115 medium, and the resultant-steam or vapor times,

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' dium, collecting vapors from said medium,

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; medium, condensing said vapors, collecting condensing said vapors, collecting the condensate in a body having its top surface below the level of said body of cooling medium and returning the products of such condensation to said body of cooling medium. I

2. The method set forth of maintaining an internal combustion chamber at efficient temperature, consisting in applying to such chamber a vaporizable body of cooling liquid medium, collecting vapors from said the condensate in a body having its top sur face below the level of said body of cooling medium and returning the products of such condensation to said body of cooling medium.

3. The method set forth of 'maintaining an internal combustion chamber at eficient I temperature consisting in applying to such chamber a bodyof vaporizable cooling n1emaintaining said medium and the vapors or steam therefrom at a pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure, allowing vapors or steam to escape upon undue pressure, condensing the escaping vapors or steam and returning only the products of such condensation to the cooling body.

4. The method set forth of maintaining an internal combustion chamber at efficient temperature consistingin applying to such chamber a body of vaporizable cooling medium, maintaining said medium and the vapors or steam therefrom at a regulated pres-\ sure in excess of atmospheric pressure, allowing vapors to escape upon undue pressure, condensing the escaping vapors or steam and returning the products of condensation to the cooling body.

5. The means set forth for maintaining an internal combustion chamber at efiicient temperature which comprises in combination with the combustion chamber, means for applying cooling medium to the walls of said chamber, means for ,collecting vapors or steam from said cooling niedium,'means for condensing the vapors or steam thus collected, and means for conducting the products of condensation to an isolated surface of condensate thus collected, and means for returning such condensate to the cooling chamber; said condensate returning'means operating simultaneously with said collecting, condensing and conducting means.

6. The means set forth for maintaining an internal combustion chamber at efficient temperature which comprises, in combination with the combustion chamber, means for applying cooling medium to the walls of said chamber, means for collecting vapors or steam from said cooling medium, means for maintaining said cooling medium and the vapors or steam arising therefrom at a pre-determined pressure above atmospheric pressure, regulatable means to allow the es cape of said vapors or steam at a pressure above said pre-determined pressure, means for condensing the vapors or steam so escaping, and means for returning the proclnets of condensation to the cooling chamber.

7. The means set forth for maintaining an internal combustion chamber at efficient temperature which comprises, in combination with the combustion chamber, means for applying cooling medium to the walls of said chamber, means for collecting vapors or steam arising from said cooling medium, means for ,maintainlng said cooling medium and the vapors or steam arising therefrom at a predetermined pressure above atmospheric pressure, regulatable means to allow the escape of said vapors or steam at a pressure above said predetermined pressure, means for condensing the vapors or steam so escaping, and a pump connected for returning the products of condensation to the cooling chamber.

8. The method set forth of maintaining an internal combustion chamber at eflicient temperature, consisting in applying to such chamber a body of vaporizable cooling liquid medium, applying to said body through the force ofits own gravity a pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure, maintaining the products of vaporization arising from said body at said excess pressure, regulatably allowing the escape of products of vaporization consequent upon undue rise of temperature, condensing the escapmg prod ucts of vaporization and returning the products of condensation to the cooling body.

9. The means set forth for maintaining an internal combustion chamber at eflicient temperature which comprises, in combination with a combustion chamber, means for applying cooling medium to the walls of said chamber, means for collecting products of vaporization arising from said cooling medium, regulatable means for maintaining said cooling medium and the products of vaporization arising therefrom at a predetermined pressure above atmospheric pressure, means to allow the escape of said products of vaporization at a pressure above said predetermined pressure, means elevated above the level of the combustion chamber for condensing the products of vaporization so escaping, and a pipe to conduct the products of condensation down into the cooling chamber to create a pressure therein, and

a valve to prevent the escape from the chamber of the products of vaporization at apressure below a predetermined pressure.

11. The combination with an engine cylinder, of a cooling jacket therefor, a condenser.

and radiator, means for conducting vapor from the surface of the cooling medium in the cooling jacket to the radiator and con denser, means for collecting condensate from the radiator and condenser, and means for returning such condensate to the cooling jacket against the force of gravity.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand at Los Angeles California, this 13th day of May, 1915.

EDWARD BOUTON, JR;

In presence of- JAMES R. TOWNSEND. 

